Convergence
by Eucleia
Summary: He doesn't remember how he came to be so powerful, sharp-minded, efficacious, yet somber, closed off, and vehemently unwilling to love; everything just was. Until he heard of her, saw her, fought with her, top soldier of the 104th, and suddenly became acutely aware of their bitter similarities and frightening parallels, leading them both down a one-way path to convergence.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: Because I'm now completely head over heels for anything rivamika/levimika/whatever you call their ship, I've decided to go for a full on, serious fic here. Snooping around other people's rivamika tags and whatnot, I saw rivamikas' headcanon (the one about Mikasa and Levi being ultra fucking badass because they were experimented on when they were younger) on Tumblr and decided to wander with it a bit, and threw together a few chapters of some pretty intense shipping/theorizing/angst (definitely this one)/romance coupled with fangirling and dramatic over-thinking. **

**Will cover events from the past (headcanons that I and other people make up), current events (especially ones where they interact heavily with each other, like the Female Titan arc), and the future (more headcanons that I make up haha). Definitely gonna be a multichapter fic of these two mofos here. Bear with me while I cry in a corner about this ship. **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the published stories or characters I write about in my own work, nor do I make any profit from my writing.**

* * *

_"It didn't work."_

_"We made sure the serum was pure! You're absolutely sure she's showing no signs of transformation?"_

_"Positive. No symptoms. Her body must have rejected it immediately. Just like the others."_

_"We thought we finally had it with the boy three years ago."_

_"But that was **three** years ago. We made so many modifications to it, and still nothing…maybe we should try it with him again. Just to make sure."_

_"I thought we released him back to his parents."_

_"No parents. The Military Police soldiers who brought him to us confirmed his parents were dead and he had no other living relatives. Just a nine-year old orphan living on the streets in the Underground."_

_"Do we still have him? If he has no family…"_

_"Yeah we still have him. The Military Police wanted us to keep him for some reason. Orders from who knows where. Probably nothing important. You never know with those guys." _

_"Is it even **safe **to test on a subject twice? It's never been done before."_

_"I have no idea. We'll just have to do it and find out. It might be that a double dose **is **needed and we've been calculating wrong."_

_"I suppose it's possible. And I guess it can't hurt to try. It might be worth it."_

_"That's what I'm saying. Test this batch of the serum on him, and if he shows no signs of alteration, then we'll know for sure that it's a flop, and we'll have to adjust somehow. He seems like our only positive control right now."_

_"And if we're wrong and he dies? There goes our best test subject. And we've already wiped and released the rest of them. The three-year-old girl was the last one."_

_"If he makes it through the second injection and shows any evidence of conversion, we've hit the jackpot. If he dies…well, same old standard procedure: dump the body and find new experimentals to start over with."_

_"What about the girl?"_

_"What **about** her? She's useless to us now. Wipe her memory and the parents'. Send them on their way."_

_"And the boy? He's twelve now, right? A completely different body type than the three-year-old girl."_

_"Perfect. Concurrent with the research, his body should adapt and sustain the serum just fine, since he's going through puberty anyway. We should have thought of this earlier. I'll get in touch with the Military Police and get approval. Shouldn't take long."_

_"I'll start the erasing then. Where's the girl staying? And her parents?"_

_"Below ground quarters. Couldn't take any chances just in case the serum did work."_

_"The boy too? Should I wipe his memory as well?"_

_"What for?"_

_"He **is **getting a second dose of the serum. And it's not like the operation is a fucking walk in the park. Didn't he and the other thirty-seven test subjects have to be confined to their beds because the pain didn't abate for three weeks? I'm sure he remembers it, and he might fight us during the second administration."_

_"We're not being paid to be babysitters. And we can't afford to waste the erasing liquor. He's a **test subject**, nothing more."_

_"Forgive me for getting just a little soft when we experiment on **children**. Sometimes I feel a little sorry for them. He's just a kid."_

_"Well snap out of it. We have our orders from the King himself. And at the rate of our progress, I'd say we don't have much time before **we're **the ones being experimented on. Wipe the memories of the girl and her parents and get them out of here."_

_"Fine, fine. Send them back to their home in Wall Maria?"_

_"Affirmative. The quicker the better. As soon as I get the go ahead from the MPs, strap the boy down to the bed, and set up the apparatus. It's going to be a long night."_

* * *

**Author's Note: Chapter I will be out as soon as I stop spewing word vomit at my computer.**

**As always, you guys know the drill. Message me here or on tumblr if you have questions, comments, or want to sob together.**


	2. Chapter I: Parallel

**Author's Note: So, who's ready for some crappy writing on stuff you already know? With the path I'm planning on taking for this story, I felt I needed to recap a few scenes we've already seen, but with a deeper look inside Levi and Mikasa's heads, so that's basically all this chapter is about. Including, of course, elements of the experimentation headcanon we love. But feel free to skip over this chapter if you want. If not, please enjoy!**

* * *

Levi shifted in his chair and crossed his legs, tentatively ignoring the simpering words spewing from Nile Dawk. He hadn't really been paying close attention to what the Military Police Commander had been arguing about anyway, and glanced sideways at Erwin Smith, who held his usual stoic gaze, betraying no emotion.

Each of the Commanders of the three military branches had been summoned to a brief meeting with the Generalissimo Darius Zacklay to report their biannual progress, and as usual, the Scouting Legion was far behind in any sort of breakthrough. The Generalissimo had shrewdly suggested that they begin forcing at least half of every future trainees' squad to join the Legion to make up for its rapidly declining numbers, but Erwin had vehemently refused.

"With all due respect sir, I would rather have willing and proficient cadets than liabilities on the battlefield. Though our recruitment has somewhat dropped, my soldiers are beyond doubt the most elite this military has to offer and I cannot afford to abandon skill for quantity," Erwin was now saying.

Zacklay nodded in acquiescence. "Understood, Commander. I'm sure you know the implications, should you fail to show any advancement in your research outside the Walls. The Scouting Legion will be disbanded should that happen."

"Affirmed, sir. I am well aware of the consequences."

"Excellent. You are dismissed," Zacklay turned back toward Commander Dawk, and Erwin rose to leave. Levi hefted himself out of his chair, adjusting the tight strap across his chest, and followed Erwin from the office.

"I need to discuss the new formation with Instructor Shadis in Wall Rose, Levi. While I'm there, observe the graduating class and its top ten. Perhaps a few of them might decide to join us this year," Erwin kept his eyes focused on the glass of the carriage they were in, speaking softly.

The younger man raised a thin eyebrow. "You know it's almost never that way, Erwin. The MPs always gain most of the top ten, with the rest going to the Garrison–"

"I've had word from Shadis that we have exceptional recruits this year. A few in particular have repeatedly shown expert handling of the maneuvering gear, some even as well as our own members–"

Levi scoffed and didn't try to hide it.

Erwin paused. "Perhaps not as well as you, Captain," he said slowly, choosing his next words carefully. "But the circumstances in which you acquired your skills were quite…unique, and unorthodox." He shot his subordinate a grim stare, eyes cold and aloof, and Levi thought he saw a flash of pity in the icy blue irises.

But it was gone before he could be sure, and he stared back under hooded lids, vaguely wondering if he had missed something vital. With Erwin though, one could never be too sure.

"Their final assessment is in about a month and Shadis believes they will all make very valuable soldiers. Report back to me when are finished, Captain," Erwin continued, folding his hands in his lap. "I expect a full statement."

Levi waved it off, knowing Erwin would understand his lax response. "Fine. I'll go watch _children _go pretend to play _war_."

"You were no different," Erwin said coldly, not missing the caustic undertone of his Captain's words. "Though these _children_ know nothing of absolute sacrifice, many of them were there during the fall of Shiganshina. They enlisted because they _understood_." He hadn't raised his voice, but Levi felt the bitter remark strike his conscience. But–

_You were no different_.

Levi suddenly twitched as images darted across his mind, unfamiliar feelings and emotions crawling from his skin.

_"Strap him down." _

_A tall man in a white coat towered over him and caught his arms in a tight hold, pinning them to the rough pallet he was laying on. _

_"Subject 38. Don't be difficult, boy."_

_"We've got him down, Doc. Roll in the apparatus. Let's get this over with."_

_A sharp needle inserted itself into the crease of skin on his arm just below his elbow and something dull and metallic streaked across his field of vision. He barely noticed the outline of the knife until the blade sank into his flesh. He shrieked from the sudden pain._

_"Tighten the straps and knock him out. I can't administer it properly if he's writhing all over the place."_

"Captain. _Captain. Levi!_" Erwin's voice broke through the nightmarish reverie and Levi was jolted back to the present, the alarming images shuttering to a stop in his disturbed mind. He was visibly shaking.

"What?" he snapped back, masking his apprehension. _The fourth time this has happened now. Fuck. _

"I need you to stay _focused_," Erwin answered roughly, eyes a little wider than normal, but still revealing nothing more than apathy.

"I _am_. I'm just…tired," Levi's usual articulate speech stumbled through his mouth, and he couldn't think of anything more to say. He crossed his arms and turned his gaze outside, refusing to make eye contact. _Memories? Experiences? What else could they be? Nothing like that ever happened in the Underground. I would remember if it did._

"You can rest later. Study the recruits. And try to stay out of their way. They may know about you."

"That's not my problem," he bit out, rubbing his left forearm absentmindedly as he continued to watch the scenery passing by. Erwin noticed the curious action in his visual periphery, mentally noting the uncharacteristic behavior but saying nothing.

Levi sucked in an abrupt breath. "It's not like I can't handle teenagers." He rolled his dark gray eyes, not caring whether Erwin saw or not. "But fine. I'll go watch the brats."

* * *

Mikasa trailed after Eren, Armin at her side, as they headed toward the forest course for training and preparation for their final evaluation. Eren was chattering happily at his sudden advancement above Jean Kirstein in the class ranking, but she paid him no attention, worried instead about the impending dissolution ceremony, when the graduates would have to choose which branch of the military they would join. She was still sure that her adopted brother could not be swayed in his decision about entering the Scouting Legion, and her heart sank with the realization that she might not be able to keep her promise to his mother.

Upon entering the course, she and her classmates adjusted their gear and waited for further instruction from the attending soldiers. As they waited, she noticed Instructor Shadis approaching with two other men, one rather tall and one rather short. _More advisors?_

"They're being tested for advanced motility and motion dynamics, Captain, no blades today. Just maneuverability around obstacles. You know the drill," Instructor Shadis said as they approached. "I will be with Commander Smith outside the course should you need my help."

"Unnecessary, Instructor."

Mikasa was taken aback by the deep, calm voice that projected from the shorter man, and she turned her head slightly to gain a better view of his face, still keeping an eye on Eren in front of her.

"I'm sure I won't have any problems," the shorter man was saying, looking sour and scowling at the group of teenagers. He was dressed in the standard military uniform, but Mikasa's eyes widened as she recognized the symbol of the Scouting Legion emblazoned on his sleeves and chest. _Are we being recruited now?_ She glimpsed over at Eren, who hadn't yet noticed the strangers. _Keep him away from those men._

The instructor nodded and turned away from his students, followed by the taller man, who leaned down and whispered something in the shorter man's ear. He nodded, but said nothing in return, and Instructor Shadis and the taller man walked back the way they came, leaving the other man behind.

Mikasa heard a trainer give the order to launch and she pushed the two men from her mind, fully concentrating on her objective and determined to get this over with. Dodging strategically placed impediments around the forest course, she tailed Jean and Sasha, knowing they'd see the obstacles first and that Eren would follow as well. Swinging around a fumbling classmate, she picked up her pace, remembering they were also timed for improvement.

Suddenly, a green blur to her right caught her attention and she swiveled in midair, surprised at the appearance of another stranger. Trying to catch a clear view of the figure, she wondered if this was an impromptu examination; they were usually tested without any interference from the trainers, but they were still susceptible to spontaneous inspection. Deciding to ignore the bizarre happenstance, she continued on her path toward the end of the course, still pursuing Jean and Sasha.

She eyed the green blur as it twisted and skirted delicately around branches with such lithe, and she couldn't help but be mildly impressed at its dexterity and passing silence. As the figure drew closer to her, it materialized into the short Scouting Legion soldier she had seen earlier and she frowned in confusion, recognizing the black hair and narrow eyes. _What does he want?_

The man pitched himself further ahead of her, steel cables flicking out and piercing a thick tree, and turned a flip before landing against the trunk, dislodging flakes of bark from the impact. He hung from his wires, and as Mikasa rushed by him, he met her own gaze with an indignant, yet attentive look.

She glared back at him before switching directions to finish the course, frustrated that she had let this mysterious stranger impede her performance. As she raced to the end of the obstacles, the man's penetrating, yet somber eyes repeatedly flashed across her mind, refusing to be forgotten, and she blinked in cool aggravation as she pulled off the gear at the edge of the forest trail, tuning out the gasping and groaning from her weary classmates.

_Who was he?_

* * *

"Done with your report, Erwin," Levi said and pushed a thin stack of paper toward the Commander. He watched as Erwin flipped through each page, skimming over the content.

"The top ten recruits this year are certainly more than qualified," the Commander commented, pleased with the results. "Especially these three," he selected a page, folded it, and placed it in a jacket pocket. "We'll have to see which they choose." He straightened his uniform jacket and inclined his head. "We leave for the 56th Expedition in two months. Same formation. Ready your squad, Captain."

Levi jerked his head in response and withdrew from the room, his green cloak billowing behind his compact frame. He let out a puff of air he didn't realize he'd been holding, and followed the long hallway back to his own quarters, boot heels clicking softly on the wooden floor and echoing faintly off the slim walls. Against his will, his thoughts wandered to the recruit he had shadowed through the forest earlier that day, a solemn girl with black hair and an eerily calm demeanor, and he was slightly perplexed. A rare and rather annoying affliction for the normally astute Captain.

_That girl. Something about her seems…off, disparate. Too vigorous and robust for a fifteen-year-old girl. _

He dismissed the absurd notion that she was abnormal or might have some sort of advantageous physical disease; Instructor Shadis had informed him that Mikasa Ackerman repeatedly excelled in all subjects as highest ranked of the top ten recruits, and was considered a prodigy in the 104th Trainees' Squad. Nothing remarkable there. The trainees' squads occasionally produced rather outstanding soldiers and Mikasa Ackerman was no exception. She was just a normal teenager who happened to be particularly adept, Levi forcefully concluded. That was it.

But he was still markedly unconvinced; her movements were too fine-tuned, too sophisticated for a typical recruit, even one considered unusually gifted. And she reminded Levi too much of himself.

He clenched his teeth in uncertainty, faint bewilderment gnawing on the edges of his brain. He knitted his eyebrows together and ran a hand over his face, exacerbated that he was distracted by this one girl. A _recruit_. Not even a soldier yet.

_Could she be the same as me?_

His mind chuckled at the thought and obligingly plucked at distant recollections from his already fragmented memory. He knew nothing of his past before twelve years old, and though he could sometimes pull up a hazy perception of feeling _something_ during his childhood days, no clear and coherent remembrances were forthcoming. He had woken up dazed and confused in the Underground District one day, instantly noticing that he was surrounded by a gang of teenage miscreants, sneers plastered on their young faces. Upon violent provocation, he had promptly challenged them back, taking on six of the perpetrators at once and dropping them groaning at his feet in a matter of minutes, chest heaving but snarling triumphantly. Apparently, the older kids had been impressed by his efficient fighting and strategic skill, and adopted him directly into their clique of child criminals. So he lived as a delinquent in the Underground below Wall Sina for years, all thoughts and queries of what had happened to him before age twelve abandoned and shoved to a sharp corner in his mind.

During the adrenalizing time he spent with the group, most of the members had acknowledged his apparent innate affinity for the stolen maneuvering gear, and began to delegate the more complex and demanding errands to him, puzzled though they were at the exceedingly short amount of time he had taken to master it. According to one of the senior members of the gang, the average amount of time to completely perfect the difficult body maneuvering took around three years for the new kids they picked up. It had taken him one.

_Could she have possibly been in the Underground as well? Mastering the 3DMG before she enlisted? Perhaps a rival gang?_

He raked through his mind, trying to recall if he had seen a slight girl with black hair falling in her slanted eyes and wandering the streets of the filthy district, or noticed her during confrontations with competing thugs. Coming up with nothing substantial, he frowned and closed his bedroom door, feeling the splintering grain of the wood against his fingers.

_She's just a talented kid. That's it. _

Levi unhooked the straps of his gear, unconsciously running his hands through the familiar routine, and he dropped his jacket and cloak to the floor, loosening the buttons of his shirt.

_It doesn't matter. She'll join the Military Brigade in a month anyway. _

He stretched out on his bed, rubbing his left arm and feeling the long white scar that ran down the skin, thin and puckered. He didn't know where he had gotten it from, and since it never gave him any physical problems, he supposed he didn't really care. But it consistently raised questions from those who were lucky, or close enough to him, to catch a glimpse of the Captain's seldom exposed flesh. _Old battle wound from earlier_ he'd always explain harshly, immediately covering the unsightly thing and silencing any other prying onlookers. And for some stupid reason, it never failed to astonish them that _Humanity's Strongest Soldier_ could sometimes become vulnerable to attack and injury.

_"To them, you're an infallible and inviolable hero, Levi. Akin to something like a god. Do you hear them? They scream for you."_

_"I'm just a normal human being, Erwin. I mean nothing more to them than a way out of these godforsaken Walls. I'm just a well-trained human."_

_"**Are** you human though?"_

Levi gathered the white sheets closer to him as he remembered Erwin's offbeat question, Mikasa Ackerman shoved into a crevice lacing his brain for now. Of course he was human. What would he be otherwise? And why would Erwin even question his obvious humanity? Though he knew the Commander was always a few steps ahead and constantly strategizing in every occasion, the chilling inquiry had been more than disconcerting at the time. _Did the Commander know something about himself that he did not? _True, Levi acknowledged the fact that he himself was not like most other soldiers, even the odd ones in the Scouting Legion, with his uncanny fighting and maneuvering expertise, but why would that prompt such a question? Surely it was possible for other members of the military to achieve ability at his level; he had just been the first to show it. Though he trusted Erwin, and hardly doubted the older man's judgment, he was a cryptic leader and never revealed all that he knew about something. _It's possible. _But it would be pointless to try to force out any information that his superior withheld, and Levi let the matter slip from his tired head, choosing to forget about the strange incident. _He will tell me if he deems fit._ He turned over on the mattress, trying to find a few hours of sleep before training in the late morning.

He managed to drift into a light and uneasy sleep as the sun began to rise, but his dark dreams were filled with long needles and unending pain, and men in white coats with ghostly smiles hovered above him, just beyond his short reach.

It felt strangely reminiscent.

* * *

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to cry.

She wanted to sprout wings and drag Eren and Armin away from the grotesque reach of the two advancing Titans, but as her brain calculated the distance she needed to run to reach them, her heart shrank as it realized she would be far too late.

Instead, she would be forced to witness the two people she loved the most be gruesomely eaten by a monster, while she stood atop Eren's steaming Titan body letting the deepest despair claim her being, and drown her in the worst anguish she had ever known. Her shaking legs denied her any further movement, and she could only whisper devastated pleas for swift deaths of her remaining family in short and heavy gasps, breath failing to invade her smoky lungs.

To her abject horror, one of the beasts stretched out a thin arm toward her debilitated brother and friend as they slowly stumbled away from Eren's Titan body, and she screeched out their names, steeling herself for the worst.

But it never came.

The whizzing sound of straining maneuvering gear that she had become so acquainted with reached her ringing ears, and she whipped around her drooping head, tearing her gaze from Eren and Armin's small forms and up toward the white sky. She squinted through salty tears as she heard the satisfying sound of metal slicing through thick flesh, and openly gaped as both of the grinning Titans teetered forward, massive arcs of blood spraying impressively from their necks through the air and dotting her uniform. Seeing no one, her legs suddenly came to life and carried her down the disintegrating body to clutch at her brother's frail form.

"Mikasa?" she heard Armin ask, frantically looking around in confusion. But she shook his shoulder, revealing her presence at his side and that she wasn't the one that felled the gigantic creatures. She knelt against Armin, breathing heavily and relief flooding through her chest. Eren was _safe_. _Alive_.

She looked up to where the giants had fallen, and as the steam cleared, a light figure landed silently on one of the Titans. His back was turned toward them, the green cloak rippling in the moist air currents.

"That's…" she started, still panting, and for once she found no words to continue.

"–the Wings…of Freedom…" Eren weakly supplied for her, and she could only stare at the figure, scalding blood dripping from the two blades clasped in his hands. When the soldier turned to look over his shoulder at the trio, she felt her memory explode.

_Those intense gray eyes. That cool and haughty expression on his indecipherable face. **You**_. _I **know **you._

"_Hey, you brats_," the man ground out severely.

Mikasa could do nothing but remain paralyzed where she knelt, mesmerized by her recognition.

"_What's going on here?_"

She narrowed her eyes at their savior, unsure whether she should be awed by his beyond perfect timing and stupefying aggression, or enraged at the Scouting Legion's uncharacteristic belatedness. Every muscle in her body was tensed with suspicion verging on the edge of animosity, and she gripped the handles of her blades instinctively though her reflexes refused to comply. Something bubbled beneath her intuition, wordlessly warning her subconscious.

This man was dangerous, yet strangely enticing. And though she would never admit it, she felt startlingly beguiled by his presence.

* * *

Of course, those strikingly foreign feelings were swept away the second the heel of his boot connected with the side of Eren's face. Her brother's head snapped sharply to the side, his mouth showering saliva mixed with scarlet blood, and she gawked in seething rancor.

_I'll kill him! I'll rip his throat out!_

Murderous thoughts leaked into her normally composed mind, and her fingers twitched at her sides for a weapon, _anything_, to take this shorty _down. _But Armin held her back, knowing full well what she was capable of, and though she resisted against his grip, her conscience told her that now was definitely not the time to enact her revenge.

The brutal assault continued, and against her will she found she couldn't coerce her aching eyes to look elsewhere. So she was compelled to watch her brother become the defenseless victim of this pitiless man, her emotions raging within her and threatening to spark into defensive action.

"Stop…Levi…!" the Commander of the Military Police Brigade stood rooted to his place, stunned beyond belief and mouth agape.

_Levi. Levi. Levi._ Mikasa branded the name on her skull, etching the letters deep into her mentality, ignoring the compromising between the Generalissimo and Commander Erwin Smith of the Scouting Legion. She silently fumed, still restrained by Armin, mentally throwing every curse she knew at this _Levi_.

He suddenly swiveled his frigid eyes to her place, and she met them in a savage glower, vowing retribution.

_If you don't get devoured by a Titan first, Captain **Levi**…_

He turned back to the Generalissimo, seemingly unaware of her scathing enmity, awaiting the final decision.

_You'll wish you had…by the time I'm done with you._

* * *

It was _her._ Mikasa Ackerman. First of the top ten. The _Girl Worth a Hundred Soldiers_.

_So, Miss Ackerman. It seems you **are **something quite special, and I have underestimated you. I will not be making the same mistake again. _

Levi urged his horse faster, racing over the abandoned farmland within Wall Rose to the castle that was now home to his Special Operations Squad and the rest of the Scouting Legion. And Mikasa Ackerman.

_"Adopted by the Jaeger family after her parents were murdered by human traffickers. She and Eren were found in a small shack with three bloody bodies, each having been stabbed to death. It seems she and Eren had retaliated and killed her parents' murderers in an act of self-preservation."_

Erwin's voice resounded throughout Levi's head, echoing with ominous implications.

_She had been forced to murder when she was nine._

Levi gripped the reins uncomfortably in his hands, calmly alarmed at this girl's sudden lack of inhibition. Though he admired her resolve, a few small details niggled at his mind, triggering a cautionary cognizance.

_"There was a knife stuck in the back of one man who was kneeling face first in a corner…the handle was cracked and splintered, rendering it unusable. Eren explained to me that Mikasa had gripped the handle so tightly that it broke, and her foot had had so much pressure on it that it cracked the floorboards of the shack as well. Her force was so powerful that she managed to drive the knife through his heart from the back and push him from the middle of the room to the corner."_

_"You expect me to believe that a **nine-year-old girl **committed murder and was strong enough to shove a grown man's dead body that far?"_

_"Why would Eren lie about an incident like that? Watch over them both. If Eren is kept safe, Mikasa will comply. We need her on our side, Captain."_

Levi dug his heels into the sides of his horse absentmindedly. _Powerful enough to break the wood of the knife handle and throw that man away from her at nine years old. _It just wasn't…human.

_"**Are** you human though?" _

The words of the Commander's earlier question pounded themselves on Levi's brain, refusing to dissipate.

Since observing her skill during the Battle of Trost District, bystanders had begun to whisper parallels between Mikasa Ackerman and himself, and though he didn't care about the rumors, he was more disturbed by the truths behind them.

_How had she acquired such skill? How?_

Levi clamped his mouth shut, eyes trained on the looming castle before him. They would be leaving for the 57th Expedition tomorrow morning, with orders to capture a traitor, and he should have been concentrating on the difficulty of the mission.

But his mind flurried with images of _Mikasa Ackerman_, her face too stern for a teenager, and her prowess comparable to his. For some reason, he couldn't shake the prospect of this seemingly deliberate coincidence, and he shook his head in irritation, troubled by the amount of precious time he had lost engrossed in this girl.

_Just who are you, Mikasa Ackerman?_


End file.
